52 Sundays

January 01, 2014

As I begin preparing to return back to work tomorrow I discovered that I had not yet shared my spread from Christmas Day.

This year we stayed home and just hung out for Christmas. What a great day we had!

I made a huge breakfast complete with scrambled eggs, bagels, biscuits, and porkroll! Yummy!

Then we exchanged gifts before settling into a relaxing afternoon, reading new books, sharing texts from friends and preparing dinner.

Jessie stayed with us on Christmas night because she was flying from Philadelphia to San Francisco on Thursday. Hard to elieve that was a week ago! Jason hung out until about 10 before heading home to the city. We had a perfect day - so happy we could all be together for Christmas!

January 03, 2010

Okay, so I'm a week late. But you know, stuff happens. In this case it was the leaky roof, the lack of electricity and my impending journey to Washington. So the long and the short of it, in spite of it all, the last Sunday of 2009 was pretty uneventful and full of calm, relaxing time.

The calm actually started late Saturday evening, as the water was running down the wall. Not that I could actually see the water, the lack of electricity had taken care of that; I had an epiphany. This happens quite often, but most times I choose to ignore the thoughts and continue to muddle through life as I think I am supposed to. There in lies the problem. But not this time. This time, perhaps because of the dark and the calming sound of water running down the wall like a fountain, I decided to listen. The epiphany had everything to do with my upcoming trip to see Mark in Washington.

As this would be our first Christmas together I had myself all wrapped up in making it perfect. I had shopped. When it didn't look like I had shopped enough, I shopped some more. My holiday was becoming more about the giving, what I was giving specifically, and the stress related with making the right choices. It was getting me no where and fast. Then, the epiphany. Christmas, for me, was always about family and the time we'd spent together. It is created by the little rituals, the traditions that we can count on each and every year. In that moment I realized that although it was going to be the first Christmas that Mark and I spent together, I am looking forward to other Christmas' in future years. The thought, or my epiphany, was that I needed to stop focusing on the things and to determine what traditions we could create of our own. I had a few ideas and a mission to do something just a little different.

As soon as I was graced with light, I got to work. I unwrapped the presents, put them back in their shopping bags with their receipts and created a to-do list for Sunday. Purchases would be returned to the stores, charity items would be dropped off at Goodwill and a stop would be made at Target where Christmas was on sale for half price.

My thought was this. Our tradition would become the decorating of a tree in our bedroom, where ever that ended up being, and the creation of a Christmas celebration on whichever day we would be able to be together. Add to the celebration a few finishing touches, in the color of red, and I believe we have a new tradition that is very easy to live with. More importantly, the traditions would become something we could definitely have fun with!

Target was a hot spot on this Sunday after Christmas and I was not disappointed. I purchased a three foot tree to set up in Mark's bedroom, a box of beautifully, colorful glass ornaments and a special ornament just for us. None of that first Christmas together nonsense. We are, above all else, the hokey self-portrait photographers. So, the idea was this. Our ornament would feature a hokey self portrait and each year we could add an ornament, to the tree, that is a frame, and continue the tradition.

As I was packing for my journey I was feeling better about the whole holiday. Above all else, time spent together is what we sorely lack. Creating traditions that focus on that time and the creation of memories is what matters most to me.

So the last Sunday of 2009 became a gentle aha to the year that had preceded it. Looking back, I had been so very blessed during the past year. The process, this past Sunday, of refocusing my energy on those simple acts that bring great pleasure is what brought the year to a calm and quiet ending.

Our little tree.

So at this point I have actually completed all of my journaling,in the form of my blog posts, for my 52 Sundays scrapbook. I just need to focus on printing the photos and putting it all together. I should be ready to show the finished project by next January 1st, if all goes well! This year will bring new creative projects and I am looking forward to the journey.

December 13, 2009

I can't believe that this is the 50th Sunday of 2009. I have loved keeping track of my Sundays and am looking forward to creating my album which chronicles my Sunday activities. So much easy to negotiate, doing a photo a day would have been too large a commitment for me.

Today dawned grey and Liv and I were awoken a little too early by Amanda banging on our hotel room door. After convincing her that we were indeed okay and that we did not need to go to M&M World we settled back into bed. Only to be interrupted a few moments later by a breakfast delivery. We slowly aroused ourselves and celebrated the extra sleep time with a couch picnic. Complete with chocolate chip muffin and buttered bagel.

One thing we really enjoyed this trip was the view from our hotel. Being on the 33rd floor offered us a vantage of Times Square that could not be compared with any other view we have ever had. We were also able to catch a glimpse of the Hudson River between the buildings across the street.

Today I had plans to meet my friend Faye whom I have not seen for over 20 years. You have got to love Facebook and its ability to bring people together. Faye found me there and it was because of her post there this week that I knew we would not only be in New York at the same time, we were actually staying within a block of each other in Times Square. We spent a quick couple of hours sharing tales and reminiscing. It is so good to reconnect with old friends, especially when neither of us has aged a day! Can you believe, I had two cameras with me but never took one photo of us together? What was I thinking?

The afternoon brought downpours so I hopped on the 1 and traveled south to 34th street and B&H where some very nice gentlemen were able to help me get my camera back in shape. Not that it needed much, but I was really nervous traveling around without a lens cap or a filter. I also treated myself to a great new camera bag which will become the new home for all of my travel related pins. Gotta love a bag that can multi-task like the best of us!

I think my favorite part of the weekend was the opportunity to see the tree in Rockefeller Center. I think that is my favorite part every year. This year I was a little sad because I was unable to share that experience with Mark. Being in a new relationship, this time of year offers one the opportunity to share traditions. Because of the distance between us, that is not really possible. Oh, we do speak every night and share our daily happenings, but it is not quite the same.

November 30, 2009

Every year, on the Sunday after Thanksgiving, I hunt down Christmas. Usually it's hiding someplace in my house. Actually, it's usually hiding in many places throughout my house. That's the problem, I have too much Christmas. The purchase of artificial trees made it even more apparent that I must find someplace to store Christmas. This year a large part of it resided in my livingroom throughout the summer. It was "hidden" in a big red bag, you couldn't miss it, it blocked the fireplace and the patio door.

This year, in addition to the big red bag that was already taking up space in the livingroom, I found a great deal of Christmas in my antique trunk, stuck in the corner of my family room. This worked out great because once I took out the Christmas things, I was able to store away my everyday stuff. Safely.

Unfortunately, Christmas decorations took a back seat to actually putting my house back in some semblance of order. Yesterday my kitchen floor was replaced for the third time and my stove, refrigerator, and dishwasher took up most of my dining and living-rooms. Once the stove was back in the kitchen I was in business. Time to cook...

I made a big pot of pasta sauce and two large pots of soup. The house smelled great with everything simmering for hours.

Can you see my tree sparkling in the livingroom? I began the process of decorating, had visions of a house ready for the holiday and I proceeded to unpack the majority of my decorations. Well, needless to say, I finished none of the decorating. Tomorrow is another day.

I am actually getting ready for my tree-trimming party which takes place next Saturday. This will be the 8th annual and it will be our 8th Christmas in this house. This year, in addition to the 10.5 foot tree in the livingroom, I will have a 7.5 foot tree in my family room. I have that many ornaments and I thought it would be easier for everyone to work if I spread out the task. Maybe this year all of the ornaments will be used! As I get ready to go to bed, I must say, that the fresh evergreen wreaths make the house smell great. And while I didn't finish any one decorating project, many are started and a few, like the mantel, don't look too bad.

I love my Father Christmas collection. Each one comes with a story of how he was acquired and why. I love them all and spend time wandering craft fairs this time of year in the hopes of adding to my collection. I added no new Fathers last year so we will see what this year brings.

The big news today is my new kitchen floor. I have lived with it for 24 hours and I still love it...that is an accomplishment!

The floor stretches from the kitchen into the entry way.

The color is lighter than the previous floor which really brightens the space. I like it.

Today was a beautiful day. The sun was bright, the temperature was in the mid 60's, and the breeze was mild. I was able to open all the windows and air out my space. I also spent some time in the yard raking. Yesterday I treated myself to a new rake. I must admit, the new rake made the job much easier. Hopefully the town will be around to pick up the leaves so they don't all blow back onto my lawn.

At about 5 I ventured out to the yard and caught a glimpse of the moon suspended in the sky.

It was a beautiful sight. The sun is setting earlier and earlier. I like the early darkness, probably because I love the excuse to stay inside. When the sun sets later I have a difficult time deciding whether to do indoor work or outdoor work. Now the decision is made for me - it's all indoor after a certain hour.

I love my Sundays, especially when they are bright and beautiful like today. I am full of energy on most Sundays and therefore I accomplish quite a bit. Unfortunately, at this time of year, I need to get back into the routine of a reasonable bedtime because Monday dawns just a little too early. That is not so easy tonight, I still feel that there is so much left to do. I was actually tired at one point, but the feeling has past. Looks like I am in for a long night...

November 24, 2009

Sunday dawned sunny and bright. So, I rolled over and fell back asleep. Sometimes you just need to do that on a Sunday! But, I was not a slacker all day. After all, report cards needed to be completed. I also needed to finish the November layout for our Year in the Life albums and work on organizing myself for the upcoming month. You see, fall needs to come down and Christmas will need to go up - rather quickly! My annual tree trimming party takes place on December 5th and I don't have much time to prepare.

I love to be at home on Sundays. This Sunday I did three loads of laundry, don't you just love clean sheets? I cleaned off my desk, one of my dressers and my nightstand. I love when I purge the clutter! I dusted, vacuumed and generally did a bit of organizing. I even paid bills!

It's so nice when things finally come together.

One of the best parts of this Sunday was the opportunity to load Christmas music into my i-tunes so that my i-Pod is ready to go for the holiday. I will not play holiday music until after Thanksgiving, but then it will be non-stop between the music and the old VCR tapes that replay old favorites like Rudolph and Frosty complete with 80's and 90's vintage commercials. Someday I will replace the old tapes, but for now...

I also spent time on Sunday gathering my materials and finishing pages for the class I took in October, Me, The Abridged Version. In order to complete the album I now have to actually do the writing. Perhaps that will happen after the holiday!

I like the way the pattern papers look against the kraft cardstock. I think that the album will look great when completed. I am pleased, even though there is a lot of green! Speaking of creating, I made a mini-album for a friend. Not very creative but I believe I may have a chance to really do it up - after the holiday of course. Even with Priority Mail, there are drop dead dates if you want something to get somewhere in a reasonable amount of time.

Sometimes I have the best intentions and then - well, life seems to take over. Just ask Jess about the quilt I am making her!

I was also excited because my American Crafts pink corduroy album arrived on Friday. I am all set to start creating my December Daily album. I am using the Jingle Level 2 Paper Packet from Close to My Heart, retro stickers from an etsy shop and red/white baker's twine. I can't wait to put it together.

I love the vintage cards! I can't wait to play!

I really think I am going to love the pink corduroy...now, to find the time to put it all together.

Sunday, I accomplished so much, organized, completed report cards, downloaded music, did sub plans and curled up in bed before midnight! It was a great day!

November 15, 2009

Hooray - the sun came out today! It could not have been a more beautiful fall day. The air was so warm I was able to work outside in a short sleeved shirt. The sun was shining so brightly that I actually needed sunglasses! After a short trip for errands I was able to rake the entire yard with my not so great, rake. Having a venti chai always makes yard work go a little easier. Especially when it comes in a festive holiday cup. Gotta love the new "wish" cups from Starbucks.

I was anxious to deal with the leaves because I was under the impression that the town had my neighborhood scheduled for leaf pick up this week. But, as it turns out, leaf collection is really not scheduled until next week. In any case, the leaves are at the curb. The yard is looking relatively leaf free.

I can't expect much better, given the state of my rake. The other chore that has been a thorn in my side since the summer, is the pile of rocks in the driveway that desperately needed to be moved. Six loads later, the pile is reduced but not gone.

Okay, it still looks like a lot, but really, I made a dent in the pile today! Perhaps the sun will still be out when I am done with school tomorrow and I can move a few more loads. I have to be home early because the Home Depot is scheduled to deliver my new wood floor tomorrow evening - I can't wait. Perhaps the third time will be the charm. I am just grateful that I don't have to pick up the flooring for the fourth time. It gets a little heavy for me.

The trees in the neighborhood are, for the most part, bare. That is except for Marcia's tree next door. Usually her tree is the last to loose its leaves, and that usually happens after the last leaf collection by the town. But, it is one of the most glorious sights in my little neighborhood this time of year.

The sun was deep into the horizon when I took this photo and it seemed to make the leaves glow. The colors are brilliant. The two little trees in my side yard have a few of those "holding on tight leaves." It seems that they are just very reluctant to let go.

The wind chimes and hummingbird feeders have been taken down. Eric stored the hammock for me while I was away last week. It seems as though we are nearly ready for winter.

I was happy to have some time to play with paper today. Yes, when my sleep was shattered at 4am, what did I do, I pulled out the layouts from my trip last weekend to finish them up. Before posting, I need to remind you that my scrapbooking style is very different from the work I produce when I am at a CTMH celebration. I am not a "cute" scrapbooker and I generally like more of a shabby chic, eclectic look. Having said that, these layouts are almost complete - just need titles and journaling. Perhaps a little stamping is called for, but I need to live with them for a little bit. I chose to use the photos from my most recent trip to Salt Lake City, one of my favorite recent experiences among so many phenomenal experiences of late. I knew the dominant colors of the layouts, but not the paper selection or the embellishments. I think they turned out okay -

The photos are all from our trip out to Snowbird, just outside of Salt Lake City. I loved taking the tram up the mountain, the view was fantastic. I think the best part was actually walking in the snow!

I didn't really do too much at 4am and I still need to tie hemp in the button holes and then glue down the buttons. For the most part, I consider it done for now. When I woke up for real, around 9:30 I began to tackle a couple of lessons for an online class I took last month. It is a class by Cathy Zielske over at Big Picture Scrapbooking and it is based on the book, Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Life. The class project is an album all about me. It is called Me, the Annotated Version. Cute concept and very revealing, even for me who tends to over-analyze everything. I learned how to change the colors in digital scrapbooking files in Photoshop Elements and how to adjust the size of the file for printing. Not bad for someone as technologically challenged as myself. So, I printed out all the alpha blocks, the album title page and the small type block for the album cover. I even decided on the five sheets of patterned paper that I will use throughout the album. And guess what, the dominant color is GREEN. I know, I hear you all laughing because you know how I feel about the color green. Okay for leaves and grass, but scrapbooking or quilting, never. But, truth be told, all these papers came as part of kits and I doubt that I will use them in any other project. Also, they actually look good together:

Plus, there is enough blue to soothe me. The album size is 8.5 by 11. I have chosen the three-ring corduroy album in dark brown by American Crafts. Love the corduroy! Each spread features 2 letters and 4 pieces of patterned paper in addition to the journaling and the two photos on each page. The writing will take time - I actually haven't really started the journaling. October was a tough month in terms of time for creative endeavors, I will catch up soon.

Well, the sheets on the bed are cleaned and ready for me. It is early. I still need to do aerobics, eat dinner and complete some school work. Operative word, some. Jason canceled our date for this evening, and Jess called to let me know that she definitely isn't going to join us for Thanksgiving. Wow, a mommy double whammy. They need to coordinate better, I'm too old for this!

Okay, I have joined the thankful bandwagon. Each day, between now and Thanksgiving, at least one post a day will be dedicated to something I am thankful for. With so many blessings it will be hard to keep my post short and to the point.

Today, I am thankful for friends who are there for me, always. Who are supportive without passing judgment. I am thankful for date night with my son and sunshine to warm my day. It has been a great day!

November 12, 2009

Unfortunately, that's what it feels like today. I really thought that the run of rainy weather I experienced in Oregon was enough for at least a month but yesterday the storm clouds appeared and the remains of Ida hit the Middle Atlantic States. With any luck, tomorrow will dawn sunny and bright. (I can always hope, can't I?)

So, speaking of rain...the majority of my time in Portland was spent inside so the fact that it rained for most of the time was really not an issue. Early Friday morning I arrived at the Doubletree for the CTMH Regional Celebration. What I love most about attending Close to My Heart events is the opportunity to meet and spend time with consultants from all over the country. The group of ladies I surrounded myself with were all from the PNW. An interesting group, all in different stages of their business. The business classes were engaging and helpful but not nearly as much fun as the creative classes.

We were hanging out preparing for the afternoon creative sessions, sharing stories and relating experiences. My new friends discovered that I had parlayed my trip into a rendezvous with my boyfriend that I hadn't seen in a month and they were dumbfounded. "Girl, you have a man in a hotel room and you're here with us? What are you thinking?" With that I was presented with my creative supplies for the afternoon, my jacket and sent on my merry way. So nice to have people looking out for me!!

Mark and I spent the afternoon in Powell's bookstore, an overwhelming experience and a place that one could easily get lost in and not be seen for days. I started picking up books immediately and then realized that I am not made of money. Shopping in a bookstore is much more fun when the budget isn't so tight. I did spend less than $100, and that's a good thing. We also spent a little time in the coffee shop so I could make some purchasing decisions - that didn't go so well. Picked up even more books on my way out of the coffee shop...

I managed to snap this shot as I made a stop to feed the parking meter. We did not do a good job of staying on top of that and received a ticket for our tardiness. Oh well, it was all in the name of books.

The spitting began as we tried to figure out how to spend the balance of our evening. A quick call to one of Mark's friends and the promise of good Mexican food took us back over the bridge to a little spot called Esparza's. The ambiance reminded me of the Chat & Chew in Union Square, NYC. We scored a little table in the back, split a margarita (my first ever) and indulged in way too many chips and too much food. Delicious.

A quick drive around the immediate area presented us with the opportunity to hang out in a local music store. I scored a couple of used cd's and spent a great deal of time just browsing through the racks. The night air was cool and the rain, damp. Not a good night to explore on foot. I would have loved a chai latte but found out, soon enough, that most of the Starbucks closed around 7. A sacrilege. Isn't evening the perfect time to hang with a hot beverage? We negotiated our way back to the hotel and a nice bottle of wine...medicinal.

Saturday was the last day of the CTMH event. The day started with a creative session led by Jeanette Lynton, the founder and CEO of Close to My Heart. We worked on the Creative Basics Journal which will be a new product in the Idea Book released in January.

What I love best about the journal is that is has an actual page protector for the cover and the binding is easily removed so that different types of pages, like envelopes and tags, as well as photos and postcards can be added right in. I think it will make a cool workshop - maybe a Goals for the New Year journal, or a gratitude journal. So many possibilities.

During the make and take Jeanette took part in a Q&A session and each person selected to ask her a question was given an exclusive Petite Perks stamp set designed by her. Yippee for me! My customers have been asking for larger scripted words that can be used as part of a title on a scrapbooking page and I got to ask Jeanette if that type of stamp was a possibility. Someone from the company actually came up to me afterward and asked for clarification - perhaps it is something they will consider. In any case I love the little stamp set - it will make a cute little thank you card to include in orders:

I stayed for part of the creative session in the afternoon where we were working with the On Target Dimensional Elements and the Sweet Home Level 2 Paper Packet. We were told to bring photos and just given the colors we would be working with. I selected photos from my recent trip to Salt Lake City were I was able to meet up with Mark and spend time with him and his brother. I chose photos from our journey to the top of the mountain at Snowbird. Unfortunately, the theme of the page was family and featured little stamped images of houses. The colors worked perfectly to compliment the photos - I will just have to decide on a title and images to stamp.

Mark picked me up and we spent the better part of the afternoon being lazy. He played his guitar (I loved that!) and shared with me the photos he had taken at the Pittock Mansion, which was on my to see list! Perhaps next time I will get to visit the mansion. We spent some time talking, sharing histories and insight. We have really not spent a great deal of time together since he moved so soon after we started dating. There is so much we still don't know about each other, still so much to learn.

We ventured over the bridge to a waterfront restaurant recommended to us by the desk clerk in our hotel. Tapas and dessert seemed appropriate for the evening. We took goofy pictures of ourselves, the first time on this trip that we had done that. I would share them but, alas, they were taken with Mark's camera - I may never see them. He did share this photo with me however - it was taken by our waitress. I don't know, it still looks a little goofy...

It was an early night due to a very early flight in the am. We needed to pack and prepare for the journey home. We did take more goofy self-portraits in the airport, I think I already shared one of those. While I did have to get out of bed extremely early, the trip home was surprisingly uneventful. In the Portland airport I shopped for a charm for my Close to My Heart charm bracelet started for me by my up-line Colleen. I actually selected a whale charm because of the statue I had photographed at Cannon Beach. I also bought myself a wooden snowflake ornament for my Christmas tree.

Denver presented me with different shopping opportunities. I bought silver earrings and a Denver key chain to add to my regional crop bag. I was able to read two books during my long journey home and take a nap. I consider that a good trip!

I won't travel by air again until I head to Seattle right after Christmas. That will be the next time that I see Mark and on that trip I will have no work obligations to monopolize my time. Just plenty of one on one time; and it's only 45 days away.

November 09, 2009

Sunday dawned bright and early, 4am to be exact. My weekend in Portland came to an early end due to my need to be back and in good form for teaching five days this week. To be quite honest, I regretted scheduling myself for such an early flight. I even looked into changing my return flight - $150 was just a little too steep. The issue was this: I was heading to Portland for two reasons. The first reason was originally to attend the Close to My Heart Regional Celebration but, by the time I got on the plane last Wednesday, my primary reason for heading to Portland was to see Mark. Bottom line. Oh sure, I love CTMH, but it turns out, not as much as I love and miss Mark. Leaving him at 6 in the morning, knowing that I would not be seeing him again until the end of December, was difficult.

So it was that I sent myself to Portland and, concurrently, why I was scheduled to come back to New Jersey at the crack of dawn. Reckless I am not, I needed to get home at a reasonable hour. Teaching this year is taking all of my energy - no point in creating more stress in my life. So Sunday, at about 4:20am, I crawled out of bed and prepared for the long journey home.

Not many photos from Sunday - too tired and really, not very photogenic. This photo was taken around 5:30am before I headed through security.

I really should have taken photos in the airport - actually, both airports (Portland and Denver) had some interesting photo opportunities that I missed. I did get two books read before landing in Philly, and that's a good thing. Not sure what this day will look like in my album for 52 Sundays, but that's a thought for another day.

After landing in Philly I was able to catch up with Jason for dinner at the Devil's Den and then a leisurely ride home to work on lesson plans and graphic organizers for Monday's lessons. A rather full and long day!